Unilever has named Prakash Kakkadas its new chief legal officer and group company secretary, succeeding Maria Varsellona who exited the role at the start of the month.
Before his appointment, Prakash was Unilever’s general counsel, corporate and deputy group secretary. Prior to joining the company, he held senior governance and legal roles at BHP Group and Barclays. He began his career at Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP.
Over at online video-sharing platform Rumble, Maurice Edelson has been appointed as the company’s new general counsel and corporate secretary.
Edelson previously served as EVP and chief legal officer for WWE and as EVP and general counsel for Time Inc. Before that he also held roles at Time Warner, Viacom, The Juilliard School and most recently as CEO of a private foundation.
‘Maurice Edelson has a unique combination of professional experiences, spanning industries related to Rumble and our mission,’ says Chris Pavlovski, founder and CEO of Rumble. ‘Bringing him on board reinforces our commitment to creative freedom, as we are always defending the right to free expression and a decentralized Internet.’
Staying in the US, retail company Bath & Body Works has confirmed in an 8-K SEC filing that Michael Wu exited his role as chief legal officer and corporate secretary at the end of February.
The company has started its search for its new chief legal officer with Wu to serve as ‘non-executive employee of the company to assist with the orderly transition,’ which is due to take place around March 27.
Over at Ameris Bank, a subsidiary of NYSE-listed Ameris Bancorp, chief risk officer Bill McKendry has handed in his resignation.
In his place David Boggs, currently general auditor at Ameris, will be promoted to chief risk officer.
Boggs joined Ameris in 2018 and currently leads the internal audit and credit risk review functions. Prior to this, Boggs held several leadership positions at First Citizens Bank.
Elsewhere, NYSE-listed Realty Income confirmed that its EVP, general counsel and secretary Michelle Bushore is leaving the company.
Bushore will continue to serve in her role through September 2 as the company searches for her successor.
‘Michelle has been a well-regarded member of the senior management team and leader for the company,’ says Sumit Roy, president and CEO of Realty Income. ‘On behalf of myself, the board of directors and the entire team at Realty Income, we want to thank Michelle for her numerous contributions to the continued evolution of the company.’
At the same time, aviation solutions provider Bristow Group has appointed Anne Rappold as its new chief legal officer and corporate secretary. Rappold has served as acting chief legal officer since August 2025.
She joined Bristow in June 2023 as deputy general counsel, Americas and global risk management, and previously served as VP of government affairs, risk and compliance at Freeport LNG.
‘Anne has done an exceptional job guiding our legal and government affairs organization in support of Bristow’s global operations,’ says Chris Bradshaw, president and CEO of Bristow Group. ‘We are pleased to formally appoint her as chief legal officer.’
Meanwhile, DeFiTechnologieshas named Philippe Lucet as its new general counsel and corporate secretary.
Lucet, who currently serves as general counsel of Valour,a subsidiary of DeFiTechnologies, succeeds Kenny Choi, who is stepping down from the role.
‘Philippe brings deep global legal leadership across highly regulated and innovation driven industries,’ saysJohan Wattenström, CEO and chairman ofDeFiTechnologies.
‘His experience spanning corporate governance, regulatory, strategy, innovation and intellectual property, combined with his existing leadership at Valour, positions him well to support our continued growth and execution across markets.’
Finally, Flotek Industries has selected Christina Ibrahim as its new SVP, general counsel, chief compliance officer and corporate secretary.
Before joining Flotek, Ibrahim served as SVP, general counsel, chief compliance officer and corporate secretary for Select Water Solutions. Prior to this, she was the chief operating officer, general counsel and chief compliance officer of Avalon Advisors. She also worked as EVP, general counsel, chief compliance officer and corporate secretary for Weatherford International.